LASPNET- Linking & Learning

General

The CAMPAIGN FOR PRO-POOR, EFFECTIVE AND INCLUSIVE LAND REFORMS IN UGANDA is undertaken by a consortium of Legal Aid Service Providers Network (LASPNET), ActionAid Uganda (AAU) and Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Uganda taking into consideration their complementary technical competencies and experience in land rights work. The lead Applicant is Legal Aid Service Providers Network (LASPNET), a Non-Government Organization of 52 members established in 2004 and spread in 70 Districts across the Uganda. The network was established to provide a collaborative framework and strategic linkages for Legal Aid Service Providers (LASPs) to harness, strengthen and sustain synergies to complement Government of Uganda#s efforts to enhance accessto justice. The Network has aStrategic Plan 2015-2020 with a vision of #a free and just society# and mission statement to #Provide a platform for effective networking and partnership to enhance legal aid service delivery and access to justice for the most vulnerable and marginalized people. The network has also been at the forefront with Justice Law and Order Sector (JLOS) in advocating for the National Legal Aid Policy (NLAP) and other pro-poor laws such as the Children#s Amendment Act; coordinationof provision of legal aid and access to justice, promotion of human rights and rule of law. In addition, LASPNET with other CSOs has worked to influence reforms in the land sector such as through convening policy makers to discuss land related policy andlegal framework. The role of LASPNET as the lead Applicantis overall coordination of the campaign against the Constitutional Amendment of Article 26, accountability for the funding and in addition has the following technical responsibility: To generateevidence on policy, legal and institutional frameworks affecting landrights for marginalised communities by conducting research on the situation analysis utilising scholars and practitioners as well as review of reports and other related information on land governance, Launch of the research, Provide legal rapid response to the CSOs and activists. AAIU is a Ugandan national development organisation, registered with the NGO Bureau, IT works in 45 Districts with 12 field offices grouped under fiveclusters namely Gulu, Nebbi, Katakwi, Kapchorwa and Pallisa. Its current Strategy is focused on `Strengthening Struggles for Social Justice 2018 -2022# which lays out a renewed commitment to strengthening civic engagement at all levels. This project willcontribute to strategic objective three of our strategy on strengthening citizens# actions to deepen democracy and hold the state, corporations and political leaders accountable. The role of AAU broadly is to foster collective action of marginalised communities and their agencies towards influencing pro-poor land reforms at local and national level by taking lead on the strategic engagement with Members of Parliament (MPs) on land governance and reforms at national and local level and organizing nationallevel dialogue on the land campaign issues. Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Uganda. PELUM UgandaNon Government Organisation membership (NGOs) with over 57 member strong network of like-minded operating organisations in over 98districts of Uganda, reaching approximately 3,000,000 smallholder farmers, 65% of whom are women. PELUM has been working in Uganda since 1995 to improve the livelihoods of small scale farmers and the sustainability of rural communities through the fosteringof ecological land use management. It works to promote agricultural systems that address food security, promote resilience to climate change, conserve agricultural biodiversity, enhance incomes of farmers, ensure environmental sustainability, and operatein an enabling policy environment. We also uniquely reach the regional, national and local levels with our interventions. PELUM Uganda is a national network that works through empowering and strengthening the capacities of the member organisationswhothen work directly with the small holder farmers. PELUM Uganda focuses on collaborative and evidence based advocacy to influence policy processes while working with other strategic partners land rights advocacy. The role of PELUM in the campaign is takingholding grassroots meetings with marginalised groups and social movements to raise awareness on land rights, conducting regional consultative meetings with the marginalised communities on key issues affecting enjoyment of their land rightsto inform MPengagement and taking lead on building capacity of selected personalities/journalists to agenda setting on issues on land. Working in a consortium with Action Aid <(>&<)> PELLUM, and LASPNET, the partners will scale up partnerships and collaborations with like-minded state and non-state stakeholders to strengthen linkages, efficiency and effective campaign against the constitutional amendment of Article 26. In their coordination role, the partners will utilize the bottom up approach advocacy to influencepolicy and practice change and also leverage membership to engage at grassroots level to enhance the campaign for pro-poor, effective and inclusive land reforms in Uganda to improve access to justice and protection of human rights for the poor, vulnerable andmarginalized.